Melania Trump quacked like a duck in a decade-old Aflac commercial, and while you’ve probably forgotten about it, the president sure hasn’t. He told an Aflac executive — and, by extension, the White House press corps and, ultimately, the whole world — that he’s proud of the commercial’s success.
As the New York Daily News reports , back in 2005, the same year that she married Donald, then-model Melania was tapped to star in a commercial for the company known for its famous duck mascot. As she told the advertising-industry trade publication AdWeek at the time, she hoped that her appearance in the ad would set the stage for a long career as the voice of the company’s spokesperson.
“Donald is known for saying ‘You’re fired’; maybe I will be known for saying ‘Aflac.’”
That, of course, didn’t happen, as actor Gilbert Gottfried is most-famously associated with that particular role. Melania and Aflac both moved on to other things, and the whole thing was forgotten about.
Until now.
On Thursday, an Aflac executive stopped by the White House to talk to the president about his tax-reform bill, and to offer a gift of socks with the company’s famed duck logo. While pleasantries were being exchanged, Trump brought up the fact that his wife and the company had a shared history.
“Well your chairman I know very well, and he’s done a fantastic job. And they actually, a long time ago, hired my wife to do a big commercial. You know that, right? An Aflac commercial. And I think it was a successful commercial too.”
Donald Trump reminded us that Melania was once in an Aflac commercial. (And yes, the ad is on the internet.) https://t.co/mOU20nTmo1
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) February 1, 2018
The commercial, entitled “Experiment,” is shot in black & white, and is a riff off of the Frankenstein theme. As thunder and lighting rage and the camera pans in on a decrepit castle. Inside, the mad scientist and his assistant conspire to transfer the voice of “this beautiful woman” into a duck, with appropriately comedic results. Here, see for yourself.
Unfortunately for Melania, the commercial failed to jump-start her acting career. Not that it mattered; she was already married to the wealthy real-estate developer at the time of the commercial (in the commercial, the assistant can be heard exclaiming “Mrs. Trump!”). Less than a year later, she would give birth to her son, Barron, and put her modeling and acting career behind her.
